The Autry Lab
Our laboratory is focused on uncovering and dissecting neural circuits that control social behaviors and understanding how these circuits are regulated under physiological and pathological conditions. Specifically, we study parental behavior which is essential for the health and survival of offspring, as well as infant-directed aggression and other behaviors associated with parenting. The research questions center around (1) how stress affects the function of circuits controlling parental behaviors (2) how circuits that mediate stress responses interact over time and (3) how stress circuits impact feeding behavior and body composition, particularly in lactating females.
Research
Neural mechanisms of parental behavior
Circuit tracing
Optogenetics
In vivo recording
Lab Members
Brenda Abdelmesih
Graduate student
Robyn Anderson
Research Technician
Ilaria Carta
Graduate student
Victoria Sedwick
Graduate student
Giovanni Podda, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow
Donate to our Kernls project
Untangling how stress disrupts maternal brain communication and mental health
Publications
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Autry, A.E., Wu, Z., Kohl, J., Bambah-Mukku, D., Rubinstein, N.D., Marin-Rodriguez, B., Carta, I., Sedwick, V., Dulac, C. (forthcoming). Perifornical area Urocortin-3 Neurons Promote Infant-Directed Neglect and Aggression. bioRXiv.
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Kim, J.W., Autry, A.E., Na, E., Adachi, M., Bjorkholm, C., Kavalali, E.T., Monteggia, L.M. (forthcoming) MeCP2 Phosphorylation forms a switch for transition from rapid to sustained antidepressant responses. Nature Neuroscience, Accepted.
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Kohl, J., Babayan, B. M., Rubinstein, N.D., Autry, A. E., Marin-Rodriguez, B., Kapoor, V., Miyamaishi, K., Zweifel, L. S., Luo, L., Uchida, N., Dulac, C. (2018). Functional circuit architecture underlying parental behavior. Nature, 556(7701): 326–331.
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Kohl, J.K.*, Autry A.E.*, Dulac, C. (2017). The Neurobiology of Parenting: A Neural Circuit Perspective. Bioessays, 39(1) 1-11.
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Adachi, M.*, Autry, A.E.*, Maghoub, M., Suzuki, K., Monteggia, L.M. (2017). TrkB Signaling in Dorsal Raphe Nucleus is Essential for Antidepressant Efficacy and Normal Aggression Behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42(4) 886-894.
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Autry, A.E. (2016). Neurobiology of Chronic Social Defeat Stress: Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Signaling in the Nucleus Accumbens. Biological Psychiatry, 80(6) 39-40.
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Morris, M.J., Na, E.S., Autry, A.E., Monteggia, L.M. (2016). Impact of DNMT1 and DNMT3a forebrain knockout on depressive- and anxiety like behavior in mice. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 135; 139-145.
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Renier, N., Adams, E., Kirst, C., Wu, Z., Azevedo, R., Kohl, J., Autry, A.E., Kadiri, L., Venkataraju, K.U., Zhou, Y., Wang, V.X., Tang, C.Y., Olsen, O., Dulac, C., Osten, P., Tessier-Lavigne, M. (2016). Mapping of brain activity by automated volume analysis of immediate early genes. Cell, 165 (7) 1-14.
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Wu, Z., Autry, A.E., Bergan, J.F., Watabe-Uchida, M., Dulac, C.G. (2014). Galanin neurons in the medial preoptic area govern parental behavior. Nature, 509 (7500) 325-330.
Nosyreva, E., Autry, A.E., Kavalali, E.T., Monteggia, L.M. (2014). Age dependence of the rapid antidepressant and synaptic effects of acute NMDA receptor blockade. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 94; 1-7.
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Nosyreva, E., Szabla, K., Autry, A.E., Ryazanov, A.G., Monteggia, L.M., Kavalali, E.T. (2013). Acute suppression of spontaneous neurotransmission drives synaptic potentiation. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(16) 6990-7002.
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Benekareddy, M., Nair, A.R., Dias, B.G., Suri, D., Autry, A.E., Monteggia, L.M., Vaidya, V.A. (2013). Induction of the plasticity-associated immediate early gene Arc by stress and hallucinogens: role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 16(2) 405-15.
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Autry, A. E., Monteggia, L.M. (2012). Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Neuropsychiatric Illness. Pharmacological Reviews, 64(2) 238-58.
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Na, E.S., Nelson, E.D., Adachi, M., Autry, A.E., Maghoub, M.A., Kavalali, E.T., Monteggia, L.M. (2012). A mouse model for MeCP2 duplication syndrome: MeCP2 overexpression impairs learning and memory and synaptic transmission. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(9) 3109-17.
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Autry, A.E., Adachi, M., Nosyreva, E., Na, E., Los, M.F., Cheng, P., Kavalali, E.T., Monteggia, L.M. (2011). NMDA Receptor Blockade at Rest Desuppresses Protein Translation and Triggers Rapid Behavioural Antidepressant Responses. Nature, 475(7354) 91-5.
Autry, A. E., Monteggia, L.M. (2009). Epigenetics and Suicide. Biological Psychiatry, 66(9) 812-3.
Autry, A.E., Adachi, M., Cheng, P., Monteggia, L.M. (2009) Gender-specific impact of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling on stress-induced depression-like behavior. Biological Psychiatry, 66(1) 84- 90.
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Adachi, M., Autry A.E., Covington, H.E., Monteggia, L.M. (2009). MeCP2-mediated transcription repression in the basolateral amygdala may underlie heightened anxiety in a mouse model of Rett Syndrome. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(13) 4218-27.
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Adachi, M., Barrot, M., Autry, A.E., Theobald, D., Monteggia, L.M. (2008). Selective loss of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the dentate gyrus attenuates antidepressant efficacy. Biological Psychiatry, 63(7) 642-9.
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Autry, A. E., Grillo, C.A., Piroli, G. G., Rothstein, J.D., McEwen, B.S., Reagan, L.P. (2006). Glucocorticoid regulation of glutamate transporter isoform expression in the rat hippocampus. Neuroendocrinology, 83(5-6) 371-9.